Council’s digital ambitions

St Helens Council is demonstrating its commitment to the digital age with a range of new and improved digital services.

Self-service kiosks are now available in the Contact Centre, Wesley House, Corporation Street.

Easy to use, the kiosks allow residents to beat the queues and get served faster.

Whether residents want to apply for a service, report a problem, find out about Universal Credit or check the progress of an outstanding call, they can do so at the touch of a button.

One kiosk even enables residents to make payments, including council tax, school meals, mortgages and business rates.

The kiosks give clear instructions to help residents complete their transactions, but members of the Contact Centre team are always on hand to provide assistance.

The council is soon to launch a new website, which promises to be more accessible, modern and secure than ever before.

The announcement follows comments from council leader Barrie Grunewald, who recently shared his vision for a digital revolution for the borough, following the highly successful Digital Communities project with telecoms giant O2.

“Digital technology cuts across everything we do,” he said. “We cannot create a substantial health and care system without embracing the digital challenge, and we cannot grow our economy, or raise the town’s ambitions, without having that digital infrastructure in place.

“Every month, we see an average of 75,000 unique visits to our current website, which shows that the service is an essential one for a vast proportion of residents. With the new website, we hope to exceed residents’ expectations for simple, safe and immediate digital services, and open up those services for more people to develop their digital skills.”

The council has also brought the historic Town Hall building into the 21st Century, with a unique virtual tour.

Provided by Google Maps, the tour grants unprecedented access to the Town Hall’s most significant areas, including the Assembly Room, the Council Chamber and the Mayor’s Parlour.